Taking Good Care: Administration as Christian Formation

A transformative, theologically rich vision for administrative work

What if spreadsheets, meetings, and daily management tasks weren’t tiresome obligations, but sacred opportunities for spiritual formation? In Taking Good Care: Administration as Christian Formation, experienced administrator Jana Holiday reveals how this often-overlooked work can become a profound expression of faith and a catalyst for personal growth.

Holiday understands the unique challenges facing Christian administrators and leaders across diverse contexts―from schools and nonprofits to churches and businesses. But this isn’t another dry management manual. Instead, Holiday weaves together practical wisdom with theological depth, showing how decision-making, change implementation, conflict resolution, and resource allocation can become formative spiritual practices. Through her holistic framework of “taking good care,” she contrasts domineering models of leadership with more fruitful stewardship models, and shows readers how to cultivate organizational ecosystems that promote flourishing.

Each chapter combines biblical insight with real-world application, featuring practical toolkits covering everything from hiring and firing to prayer practices specifically designed for administrators. Holiday addresses the full spectrum of challenges: creating hospitable environments, maintaining proper presence in overwhelming circumstances, developing sustainable assessment cultures, and planning for succession with kingdom-minded vision.

Holiday’s fresh approach to administration helps readers see their work not as mundane task management, but as an essential ministry of cultivation―nurturing people, stewarding resources, and creating conditions where others can thrive. Administrative professionals―whether managing a small church office or overseeing complex institutional operations―will discover how their work can become an instrument of Christian formation, both for themselves and those they serve.

Jana Holiday is dean of students at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She holds a PhD in educational studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and has decades of experience in church and higher education administration. She is the author of Taking Good Care: Administration as Christian Formation.